Meeting him

Sakura was completely lost with her plan of action now.

In a way, she knew that her job was on the line. As much as the CEO liked her, he wouldn't blink before firing her if things didn't go well. The problem here was that she didn't want to be the one meeting with Yuzuru and convincing him to sign with them.

Yes, he was the perfect candidate, but at what cost?

Could she take in all of her pride and be able to speak to him professionally after how they left things?

Would he even say yes knowing that she was the one leading the team and brand?

Too many questions were unanswered in her brain and the only certainty was that she had to book that meeting.

Going against all of her self will, she eventually booked a day for them to meet, never actually mentioning her first name as she spoke with his team to deal with everything.

Maybe he wouldn't even come himself, he was probably busy...But she read that he was injured, so he wasn't competing either.

The meeting was scheduled for the week after with just a phone call and his team promptly confirmed that the chance of Hanyu attending himself was slim. Sakura only gasped in relief.

It was only when she was in bed on that night that she remembered. December 8th, a day after his birthday... Maybe she could get the team to give him a late gift...

What was she thinking?... She can't do something like that...

But would he mind if she did? Would he know that it was her?

Sakura had been trying to convince herself to avoid getting any gifts, but when the newest Sony earphones promptly presented themselves in front of her eyes, she just bought them without a second thought.

He wouldn't be there anyways... So why not? His fascination with audio equipment was publicly known after all...And if she added the extra detail of a pooh bag and a Tokyo Ghoul Pop figure, it was just some extra things.

And when the day finally arrived, she was calm and collected.

There was no need to be nervous since she was only meeting with his team.

Sakura prepared the meeting with her two assistants, making the key points to convince them choosing Kosé was the right choice. She went through all of her notes and reviewed every approach with them before organizing everything in the conference room.

She breathed in to calm herself as she settled alone in one of the chairs with the presentation on her laptop and the bag with her gifts by her side.

"Honda-san, they're here." One of the members of her team said suddenly and her heartbeat only increased.

"Guide them here, if you don't mind."

"Of course, ma'am."

Just as Sakura heard noises outside the door, she was quick to raise her head but nothing could quite prepare her for the sight in front of her eyes.

He looked just as she remembered.

Dressed in a slightly oversized suit for his lean body, the man she had been actively ignoring for the past 6 years was right in front of her eyes. And it wasn't as if she did a good job hiding her audible gasp in surprise as she saw him.

"Sakura?" She heard from his mouth as he too, gathered all the thoughts in his head and tried not to look too surprised.

The woman ignored the looks of her team who were dumbfounded and trying to understand how those two knew each other.

She gathered all of her strength and courage before turning to her professional side.

"Hanyu-san, please have a sit..."

Sakura saw him visibly swallow, eyes still wide as he processed the information inside his head.

He still silently sat down with the other members of his team. Strangely enough, his mother wasn't present. Sakura thought he didn't do a thing without her but maybe things had changed.

Suddenly, all of the business pitch that she had prepared so thoroughly had completely disappeared from her head as she tried to focus on the task at hand.

"Should we start, Honda-san?"

One of the members of her team said while staring at her stupidly.

"Of course. I should start by introducing myself."

"You can skip that." He said while throwing her that glare she knew so well.

"Hanyu-san, not everyone in this room knows me."

"I do, so what's the point? Am I not the one making the decision in the end?"

"Hanyu-san... Please be aware of your words..." His lawyer quickly advised. "This is a good deal for you."

Sakura could almost see all the gears working in his brain, trying to connect the dots and figuring out what to do next.

If she didn't know him so well she would probably be scared, hell, she still was even knowing how non-aggressive his personality was.

She saw through all of those looks, how he was thinking of something and when he made the decision inside his head.

"Whatever the proposition is, you can forget it. Save your words."

Everyone in the room gasped at that. This was unusually off-character for him but at the same time, it had been a long time since Sakura last saw him. People can change.

"Yuzuru!" She said way too loud for her pride, without any honorifics, and way too out of hand to be considered polite given the circumstances. "Don't throw away a good deal because of me. If you prefer to have someone else discuss it with you, I will gladly step aside."

He didn't even think it through before he started speaking again.

"How about this..." Yuzuru started with the most serious expression she had ever seen on his face. "I will sign whatever deal you want to present to me..."

"Hanyu-san!" His lawyer warned immediately before he was thrown a glare that made him shut up.

"In return, you have a conversation with me in private."